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The Red Planet is a mere 57.6 million kilometres (35.8 million miles) from Earth at the moment, marking its closest approach to our planet in 15 years.

Stargazers that braved wind and rain last night (or early this morning) may have caught their best glimpse of the planet since 2003.

It was visible on the low on the southwestern horizon and was about as bright as a typical airplane light overnight.

It hit its closest point between 11.30pm last night and 9am this morning.

And even though it won’t remain as bright, eager planet-spotters will still be able to find Mars in the night sky for much of early August.

This is what Mars looks like (Getty)

Typically, the planet is usually 250 million miles away. Like Earth, Mars also has seasons due to its 25-degree axial tilt. In fact, because the degree of tilt is higher (Earth’s is only 23.5-degrees) Mars’ elliptical orbit has a greater impact on its seasonal differences.

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During its orbit, Mars’ closest and furthest points away from the sun vary by about 19% – a much bigger difference than the 3% experienced by Earth.

“Each Martian year, moderately large dust storms cover continent-sized areas and last for weeks at a time,” explained Nasa.

“Global dust storms — lasting for weeks or months — tend to happen during the spring and summer in the southern hemisphere, when Mars is closest to the Sun and heating is at a maximum to generate winds.”

Sky watch alert 🚨 Get outside tonight and look for Mars! The Red Planet and Earth haven’t been this close since 2003, and won’t be again until 2035. Look to the south July 30 – 31 to see an orange Mars shining brightly. Cloudy skies? Watch it online NOW: https://t.co/FTSHEGteEmpic.twitter.com/Hqes31mJwF

The good news about all the Martian dust is that it reflects sunlight, which will make it shine brighter than usual, according to Widener University astronomer Harry Augensen.

Caption: Opportunity’s view from the top of Cape Tribulation on the rim of Endeavour Crater, January 22, 2015 (Picture: Nasa)Provider: Nasa

This means you can see it with the naked eye. Just look out for the big red dot in the night sky and pray thunderstorms don’t ruin your view.

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“It’s magnificent. It’s as bright as an airplane landing light,’ Augensen said. ‘Not quite as bright as Venus, but still because of the reddish, orange-ish-red colour, you really can’t miss it in the sky.”

In 2003, Mars and Earth were at their closest in nearly 60,000 years, coming within 34.6 million miles of each other. This won’t happen again until 2287, Nasa has predicted.